Frozen chicken wings in air fryer machines actually turn out great! Tender meat on the inside with a crispy skin and smothered in sauce. Use your Cosori, Ninja Foodi or any other brand. It’s the way to go when you forgot to defrost dinner! 

Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
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Are you forgetful like me? Or are there occasions when you need a quick appetizer? This frozen chicken wings in air fryer recipe is just for these occasions! It’s one of our favorite air fryer recipes here on The Typical Mom blog. I bet your family will love it as much. (affiliate links present)

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Frozen

I mean yes you want them cooked thru but crispy chicken skin is where it is at right? Especially when it comes to wings for sure. I’m sure you will agree with me. There are so many ways to serve them but it all starts with the texture before they go out for guests to enjoy them.

We shared how to bake frozen chicken wings in the oven not too far back, this is faster with better crisp too! Before you move on any further, you can look up and LIKE our easy air fryer recipes page to get new ideas for meals and snack ideas like this one daily too!

If you love air fryer recipes too, here are some resources to start with:

cosori review

Frozen Wings Air Fryer

Before you had to cook them, then pop them under your broiler. Not anymore! With a hot air fryer you can make crispy chicken skin on the outsides too! That means you can make anything and everything faster and more efficiently. I am all about that with 3 kids and working full time.

Anything that will help us eat dinner together more often I am a fan of. I made this resolution years ago and though we are not perfect it has become a priority for us. Even if we only get it 2 times a week it is a great way to talk about the day and reconnect. Especially with teens with one word answers this is big. And very important.

Can you cook frozen meat in an air fryer?

Yes!! Frozen meat can take a long time to cook when normally, however thanks to air fryer technology you can now cook a variety of frozen meat products in no time at all! If you have never done this before it is a guaranteed game changer for us all. And you have to try it like right now…..

When they’re done you’ll never know they were rock hard when you first put them in.

frozen air fryer wings

Air Fry Frozen Wings

There’s NO prep work for these babies! That means when I’m having a blonde moment and totally forgot to defrost my meat for dinner, I can still save the evening. Don’t worry about the lack of flavor because when they get warmed and moist on the outside you can add dry rub on the outside if you want.

Or just go for dipping sauces in the end and sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper just to liven them up.

  • Once we got the hang of this we went on to create a whole lot of other frozen meat in air an fryer. Air fryer frozen fish comes out amazing too.

Now if you do remember it is a bit better in my opinion. BUT it’s great to have this and how to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot on hand too.

Frozen chicken wings in an air fryer basket, ready to be perfectly cooked, promise a crispy delight with minimal effort.

Ninja Foodi Frozen Chicken Wings

I love using my Foodi for all the things because I can cook them two different ways. For this you’d use the air crisp function and the lid that is attached, not the other one. This is what you’ll need for air fryer frozen chicken

Ingredients

  • Ninja Foodi or other electric air fryer 
  • Bag of frozen chicken wings
    • that is it if you don’t want sauce
    • naked wings are quite good with just some salt and pepper 
  • Olive oil spray to crisp up

Buffalo sauce is what was used to toss them in here once they were done with the ingredients below. Feel free to use teriyaki instead or just seasonings.

  • Brown sugar
  • Garlic powder
  • Olive oil spray

I like my wings both ways, sauced, dipped in fry sauce, or with a dry rub.   If they’re frozen that won’t work though, you’ll have to use a bottled teriyaki sauce, or use the recipe below for something a bit sweet and spicy.

buffalo wing sauce

How long do you cook frozen chicken wings in the air fryer?

The short answer is about 25 minutes for 1 batch. Of course times will vary depending on whether you preheat it first, and how crispy you like your skin too.

Here are the basic steps for air fried chicken wings

How to Cook Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

  1. Put single layer of frozen chicken wings in your air fryer basket.
  2. Close drawer or lid and set to 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
  3. Then flip them over and continue cooking the wings for another 10 minutes.
  4. Flip again, spray with olive oil spray and continue for 5 more minutes.
    • Flipping them a few times is really important to getting them as crispy as possible and the middle tender at the same time.
  5. You could enjoy them at this time but if you want perfectly cooked crispier skins flip the wings again.
  6. Spray with olive oil and add another 3-5 minutes at a time.
  7. Remove when your frozen air fryer chicken wings are as crispy as you’d like.
  8. Put on paper towels when done, sauce and enjoy!

Total cooking time will be about 30 minutes per batch.

Spoon drizzling bright orange sauce over a bowl of crispy chicken wings straight from the air fryer.

Can you defrost wings in an air fryer?

The beauty of the air fryer is that you don’t need to defrost frozen foods before cooking them. Take these air fryer frozen tater tots. They work just like if you were to cook them in the oven. Just throw them in rock solid and they’ll come out tender, but crispy on the outside. Actually, crispier than if you put them into the oven.

Love deep fried wings but want a healthier version ? This is it!!  If you want to decide whether naked wings in the oven, or these are better, follow our how to bake crispy chicken wings at 425 recipe here.

You use a bit of baking powder on the outside to get that CRISPY skin. That’s what we did before we got this nifty machine.

air fryer recipes

What to serve with air fryer frozen chicken wings

I mean side dishes are very personal so choose whatever you like! Since these are packed with protein you can just pair them with some easy dinner rolls and air fryer vegetables and serve. Or make:

The list goes on and on I tell you. Since they are so high in protein you get filled quite quickly really. If you just serve them with a side of carrot sticks, celery and some ranch dressing the kids will think you’re a dinner hero. And that is so easy you can totally do that!

Now if you have defrosted meat you can follow the air fryer wings recipe with the best dry rub ever and enjoy. Yes you can put sauce on them but I kid you not these seasonings will blow any sauce out of the water.

How do you make leftover wings crispy?

I personally prefer reheat chicken wings in air fryer though. Just a few minutes in a preheated air fryer at 400 F. usually does the trick. Of course fresh is always best but don’t throw anything away for sure! Leftovers can be resurrected.

Are chicken wings still good if left out overnight?

If they’re out between 40 and 140 degrees F, they can be out for up to two hours. But if they’re out in temperatures around 90 degrees or higher, you can only leave the wings out for about an hour.

air fryer wings
Frozen chicken wings in an air fryer are perfectly arranged in a single layer in the basket, ensuring even cooking.
4.96 from 22 votes

Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

By The Typical Mom
Naked frozen chicken wings in air fryer or Ninja Foodi turn out great! Tender meat on the inside with a crispy skin, no breading, smothered in sauce.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Servings: 2
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Equipment

  • 1 air fryer

Ingredients 

  • 8 chicken wings, frozen
  • 1/2 c buffalo sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • olive oil spray

Instructions 

  • Place wings in air fryer basket so they aren't overlapping.
  • Close drawer and set to 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
  • Open, flip each one over and set again for 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes spray wings with olive oil spray so they crisp up more.
  • Check, if you want them crispier flip them again, spray again, and set for a few more minutes.
  • Mix 3 ingredients together in a bowl to make sweet n spicy buffalo sauce.
  • Toss together to coat and serve!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 478kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 148mg, Sodium: 1984mg, Potassium: 318mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 283IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, Entree, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
Close-up of a hand dipping a buffalo chicken wing into sauce. Discover the ultimate air fryer recipe for turning frozen chicken wings into crispy, savory bites.

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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4.96 from 22 votes (1 rating without comment)

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49 Comments

  1. It had never occurred to me to do this or that it would result in such crispy skin! Terrific idea and recipe, thank you!

  2. Great for when things don’t go to the original plan – not something I had thought of!

  3. They come out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside every time. It’s so easy and quick to cook them, and they taste delicious!

  4. This made life so easy! Not only were these wings delicious, the clean up was super quick. Thank you!

  5. Iโ€™ve never tried making chicken wings in my ninja foodie but this made it so easy! Canโ€™t wait to try it again and again!